One of a small handful of area organizations that offers individual, couples, and career and mental health counseling services at no cost to people in need, the UVA Women’s Center’s Counseling Program is committed to training the next generation of mental health professionals. Until May 2009, direct counseling services were provided by U.Va graduate counseling interns, supervised by a licensed professional counselor. After this year, U.Va. will no longer be training mental health counselors; hence to continue to serve the community, the Women’s Center is seeking to create a paid residency in August 2009 for a newly graduated counselor working toward licensure who is interested in serving low-income community residents, UVA staff and students who lack the resources to pay for private care.
In 2008-2009, the Women’s Center provided over 1000 hours of face-to-face mental health counseling (over 2100 hours of service overall). Without the new residency position, in future years that total is likely to be cut more than 60 percent.
Our clients come with a variety of concerns. Many involve sexual trauma, eating disorders, grief, substance abuse, depression, and anxiety. Others are related to academic concerns or work, ADHD-related concerns, career development, and relationship issues. We take self-referrals, as well as referrals from the Women’s Initiative, SARA, SHE and other local agencies.
The Women's Center offers a sensitive, confidential place for individuals and couples to receive counseling. It also offers counseling services for acute issues, thus providing the possibility for prevention of chronic problems. Because of its low barriers to services, the Women's Center is a place of first resort for many undergraduate women who seek counseling after suffering an unwanted sexual experience at U.Va.
The Women's Center relies on the approach of motivational interviewing to prepare clients for change and to set goals for counseling early in treatment. Counselor interns take an integrative approach to counseling. Evidence-based practice, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, is an important part of the Center's approach. The program measures the impact of its work through client surveys following the end of treatment.